Sunday, September 29, 2013

I have seen the future and it is now!

The porch that was once a second floor kitchen has finally come round to what it is meant to be. Josh tore up two layers of vinyl tile and the plywood sub floor to find a rotted fir floor beneath. At some point it had been left to deteriorate, the wood sprung loose, turned black and the edges split and splintering. That has been the old lady smell we've been noticing. Fermenting house.

Josh has been steadfastly carried things out to the garage; counters and stoves and dishwashers and with Jonathan"s know-how this past Sat, they capped the plumbing and took the sink and the last of the shelves out. This afternoon we spread out the carpet to cover the wood, lit incense to cover the old lady smell, and ensconced the tchatchkas and our new space feels truly feels right.

On a related note, my sis and I were discussing the most used place in the house, the front porch. It has our mid-century modern porch furniture on it. Yellow Naugahyde. Not quite what you'd expect from a turn of the century mansion. But it is as comfortable as hell. And we sit on it incessantly like the Lowry Hillbillies that we are. And equally as unexpected is the table on the other side. My mother brought it from their deck in Oakland and it arrived in the pods last week. Green iron. It is tough and large. Mom had been concerned about it, wondering where it could go, if we could use it, and we mused about the front porch. Now it fit the space perfectly. Something about how it is tucked in there is completely welcoming. It's stature is perfect for the spot and somehow we couldn't have imagined it before hand. Without her encouragement we wouldn't have tried it. How did she know?

I love it when an item from your life finds new purpose. I love that moment of recognition, when you place the item in the new spot and it is as if it was always meant to be. It is like a great sigh of relief. Somehow everything that has got me here to this point in time makes so much sense.

The porch is my new studio! Looking forward to holding writing classes in it - this house is starting to make sense. Can't wait for you to see it!

About Me

I have an MFA in creative writing. I teach writing practice classes at my home studio and at the Loft Literary Center. I am a certified yoga instructor. You can find me teaching yoga at Linden Hills Park among other places. I believe mindfulness fuels creativity. I am always refining the pose.